“You guys,
I was in the public restroom the other day and there was a line of urinals. One
of them had a sign that said ‘out of order.’ And I was like…how the hell am I
supposed to know, ya know? Like, in what order were they originally?”The audience erupts into laughter.

Sammy
Arechar is up on stage at Bremen Café’s popular Monday night comedy open mic.
The room is so packed with comedy hopefuls and fans that a group of people
gathers in the doorway, trying to stick their necks into the room to get a glimpse.
For Arechar, an up-and-coming Milwaukee comedian, the night is about honing his
craft. He got into comedy about three and a half years ago after his friends
encouraged him to do it.

Bremen
Café’s open mic night was founded in 2013 by Milwaukee comedian Jake Kornely, a
key player in the “alt scene.” Kornely, who started pursuing an interest in
stand-up four years ago, found opportunities for local comics were spread thin
at Milwaukee’s traditional comedy clubs, so he decided to organize his own
shows instead. His model is more akin to an indie rock band, booking shows at
venues like the Bremen Café, Landmark Lanes and Circle-A Café.

“Whoever I
could talk into having a comedy show for a night,” Kornely explains. After
building a following for his showcases, though, Kornely recently announced he’s
moving to Los Angeles. “I’m not necessarily trying to make it—there’s thousands
of comedians out there. I just wanted a change, a new perspective,” he says.

Kornely
handed the Bremen Café show night over to his friends, comedians Allison Dunne
and Liz Ziner, who renamed the night the “Clam Jam Comedy Open Mic.”

Comedy
open mics used to be sporadic in Milwaukee, but now a variety of venues offer
them every night Sunday through Thursday, enough to keep a comedian on their
toes. At “the mics,” locals find an opportunity to improve material and meet
colleagues. It’s how Dunne and Ziner met each other and became friends with
Kornely.

“We get
amateurs, first timers, professionals, whoever shows up,” Dunne explains,
pointing out a sign-up sheet that is filled with names, each of whom will get
five minutes of fame on stage in front of Bremen Café’s enthusiastic crowd.

“I don’t
have a lot of luck with the ladies, it’s awful, because I think I’m a charming
guy. But at the same time, I think I kind of look like a brown Kathy Bates as
well.” A burst of laughter. “It’s tough. To me, girls are a lot like the
furniture store... they usually offer me no interest until 2018.”

A couple
weeks after his open mic set, Arechar is back onstage at the Underground
Collaborative, a venue literally named for its location on the basement level
of the Shops of Grand Avenue. Besides housing a stage, the complex has a
recording studio and rooms for comedy workshops. The space is also home to
Milwaukee Comedy, the production company run by Matt Kemple. A comedian and
producer, Kemple is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Milwaukee Comedy
Festival this year, Aug. 6-9. He says the growing independent comedy shows are
the sign of a strengthening scene.

“One of
the best things we have is the community itself. It’s supportive; there are a
lot of people that want the scene to survive and want to work with other
comedians,” Kemple explains. “A number of years ago, people would drive to
Chicago to see comedy. They wouldn’t even pretend to think it was happening in
town. That’s not the case anymore.”

Tonight,
Kemple has booked Arechar as the opening act for Milwaukee Comedy’s “Retro
Comedy” show, in which a troupe of comedians recreate episodes of classic TV.
This time around, they’re interpreting an episode of ’90s sitcom “NewsRadio.”

On the
other hand, Kemple adds, the biggest challenge for Milwaukee’s comedy scene is
that our funniest people often end up leaving town for the brighter lights of
Chicago and Los Angeles. He points to Kornely’s departure as a recent example
and he knows of about a half dozen other comedians who have said they’re moving
on within the next year.

“It’s
rough, especially for me as a producer, because we finally have all these
people and we’re gonna book them and…” Kemple slaps his hands down on his desk,
decorated with rubber chickens, in mock anger. “Aww! Now we got to find new
people! I want to see people succeed, but the unfortunate mindset is, the more
you succeed, the less you can be in Milwaukee.”

As for
Arechar, he admits he’s considered moving to Chicago in the near future, but
for now, he’s still here. One thing he likes about Milwaukee is that it’s been
easy for him to get stage time, something that would be hard to come by in a
bigger comedy city.

“I’m
really happy with the showcases and open mics popping up all over Milwaukee,
making stand-up more accessible to the public,” Arechar says. “And I love
working with the comics currently in the scene a bunch.”

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